Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 3 : South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt once again stood tall for her side, scoring a brilliant 101 off 98 balls in the Women's World Cup final against India in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. However, despite her valiant effort, South Africa fell short, and Wolvaardt's lone fight went in vain as India lifted the trophy.
The 26-year-old batter enjoyed a record-breaking campaign, finishing as the highest run-getter in a single World Cup edition. Wolvaardt amassed 571 runs in 9 innings at an outstanding average of 71.37, which included two centuries and three fifties.
With this performance, Wolvaardt also cemented her place among the all-time greats of the women's game. She now has 1,328 runs in 24 World Cup matches, featuring two hundreds and 12 half-centuries, inching closer to New Zealand legend Debbie Hockley, who holds the record with 1,501 runs in the tournament's history.
Her consistency has been remarkable, Wolvaardt now holds the record for the most 50-plus scores in Women's World Cup history with 14 such innings in just 24 matches, surpassing the likes of Mithali Raj (13 in 36 innings), Debbie Hockley (12 in 43 innings), and Charlotte Edwards (11 in 28 innings).
The South African skipper also equalled another major milestone, joining Hockley, Ellyse Perry (2017), and herself from 2022, as the only players to record five 50-plus scores in a single World Cup edition.
Adding another feather to her cap, Wolvaardt became only the second player ever across both men's and women's World Cups to register a century in both the semi-final and the final of the same edition. The only other cricketer to achieve this rare feat was Australia's Alyssa Healy in 2022.
Though the trophy eluded her, Wolvaardt's outstanding run with the bat has not only carried South Africa to their first-ever World Cup final but also solidified her reputation as one of the finest modern-day batters in world cricket.
Coming to the match, South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first. A century partnership between Smriti Mandhana (45 in 58 balls, with eight fours) and Shafali Verma kick-started things for India, followed by another 62-run stand between Shafali (87 in 78 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Jemimah Rodrigues (24 in 37 balls, with a four). India was at a fine platform of 166/2.
A 52-run stand between skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 in 29 balls, with two fours) and Deepti Sharma took India beyond the 200-run mark. A final flourish by Deepti (58 in 58 balls, with three fours and a six) and Richa Ghosh (34 in 24 balls, with three fours and two sixes) helped India reach 298/7 in their 50 overs.
Ayabonga Khaka (3/58) was the leading wicket-taker for SA.
During the run-chase, a fifty-run stand started things for SA, with Tazmin Brits (23 in 35 balls, with two fours and a six) being the first victim. Eventually, despite skipper Laura Wolvaardt's dominance, the golden arms of Shafali Verma (2/36) and Shree Charani reduced SA to 148/5.
Wolvaardt had a 61-run stand for the sixth-wicket with Annerie Dercksen (37 in 35 balls, with a four and two sixes), which slowly started to rebuild pressure on India.
Wolvaardt (101 in 98 balls, with 11 fours and a six) continued her red-hot form, bringing up her century after having registered 169 against England in semifinal just a few days back. However, a game-changing spell from Deepti removed both set batters and had Proteas struggling at 221/8. She became the first Indian woman with a WC final four-fer. Deepti (5/39) eventually managed to convert it into a fiver, as India made history to win their maiden WC title by bundling out South Africa for 246 runs.
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